Hoisting apparatus



June 21, w LATIMER v I HOISTING APPARATUS Filed 001;. 6, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 HOISTING APPARATUS Filed 001;. 6, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR WOQ/ ew ORNEYS Patented June 21, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE 2,121,565 nors'rme APPARATUS William w. Latimer, Detroit, Mich. Application October 6, 1Sl36, Serial No. 104,257

6 Claims. (01. 254-144) The present invention relates to a hoisting device of a type adapted for use in removing and re-assembling comparatively heavy parts of an automotive vehicle propelling mechanism so that such parts may be serviced, repaired, adjusted, replaced, etc. The present device is particularly adapted for use in connection with buses and trucks wherein the parts of the propelling mechanisms are heavy and wherein their body structures are such that it is impossible to attain access to the same other than from beneath the bodies. A device for this general purpose has been disclosed in my prior Patent 1,912,149, issued May 13, 1933 and the present invention constitutes, in many respects, an improvement thereon.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide means for removing and re-assembling parts of an automotive vehicle drive mechanism, the device being adjustable over a comparatively wide range so that it may be placed beneath the vehicle body, without the necessity of placing the vehicle over a pit, and which has a comparatively long range of travel so that it may be elevated to a. position whereby the desired power mechanism parts may be removed or replaced. The device is readily portable so that it may be placed accurately in a position to remove various parts upon release of their se- 30 curing elements and also to support various parts so that no difliculty is experienced in replacing their securing elements.

Another object of the invention is to provide a raising and lowering device which may be used :73 for the purpose of removing and replacing pancake engines such as are mounted beneath the body or passenger compartments of buses. In this respect the invention provides a lifting and lowering device which may be extended upward- 1y, from a floor, to engage the engine while its securing elements are removed, and having means for lowering the engine into close proximity with the floor. After lowering the engine, the device may be adjusted so that it may be wheeled from beneath the vehicle body so that access may be had to the engine carried thereby.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device of the character referred to having operating means for receiving manual pressure for raising and lowering a load carried thereby, the operating mechanism including a worm drive providing for an increased mechanical advantage whereby comparatively heavy loads may be raised and held from accidental lowering. Furthermore, the operating means ineludes mechanism for rendering the worm drive inoperative to raise, lower or support a load and means which may be operated when the worm drive is inoperative for the purpose of raising or lowering loads or raising and lowering the load carrying element while it is empty, prior to reception of a load or while adjusting it to a position for the reception of a load.

With the above and other ends. in view the invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth with reference to the accompanying draw ings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan with one of the parts of ,the device broken away and in section;

tool or lever.

Like characters of reference are employed throughout to designate corresponding parts.

The base portion of the present device comprises a rectangular frame formed of two sections l and 2. The sections l and 2 are substantially U-shaped when viewed in plan and have their respective arms united by angle irons 3'which are bolted thereto as designated at 4.

The purpose of this construction is to permit enlargement of the base structure by moving the two: sections thereof apart a greater distance than that shown by employing angle irons 3 which are longer than those illustrated. Se-

"cured to each corner of thebase frame l2 are reinforcing plates 5 which extend vertically and "support brackets t, casters 1 of the swivelling type being mounted in the brackets. It beoomesobvious, from'the foregoing, that the base structure is adjustable in that it may be extended to increase the width thereof and that it may be wheeled from place to place upon its 1 casters 1.

Supported by the base frame I2 and extending vertically are four channel-like guides ,Bjthere being one'of such guides located adjacent each of the four corners of the base frame. The two guides 8 adjacent respective ends of the base frame are joined by a rigid beam 9, the

beam 9 being in the form of an angle iron and being attached to the sides of respective guides 8 and by angle brackets ID to vertical ways. I'I. Slidable in each guide 8 is a bar H, composed of two fiat strips united as by welding, and the bars II in united sets of guides are joined by a transverse rigid element I2 so that they slide together, as will hereinafter appear. The bars I I have series of slots I3 therein for the reception of retainer arms M on rotatable rods 25 carried by respective beams 9, each rod having actuating levers I6 by means of which manual pressure may be applied thereto for the purpose of moving the same rotatively.

As shown in Fig. 2 the rods l are in a positlo wherein the retainers i i are projectingin .a direction away from the bars II and the bars II are in their lowermost or nested position in the guides 8. The bars H move to this lowermost position because of their own weight and they may be raised from this position by applying lifting pressure manually on the rigid transverse element i2 which unites the bars H in sets of two. When the bars II are raised, to the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4 for example, the rods I5 are manually rocked so that the retainer portions l4 extend into slots I3. The retainers it rest upon the beams 9 and engage the ends of the slots 43, in which they are received, to prevent the bars II from lowering because of their own weight or because of loads placed thereon as will hereinafter appear. It is pointed out, however, that the lifting and lowering mechanism hereinafter to be described is operable with the bars II in the positions shown in Figv 2, in Figs. 8 and 4, or in any position between the two extremes illustrated.

Secured to each of the vertical guides 8 are vertical ways I'I, above mentioned, slidably supporting sliding guide elements l8. Four sliding guide elements 58 are thus provided and each may move independently of the others,that is, they are not connected one to another Each sliding guide I8 has a limiting element or stop 59 at the top thereof.

A rectangular frame 28, formed of two sections which are united by removable angle irons 2 I, in a manner similar to the structure of the base frame above described, has vertical corner members 22 slidably received upon the sliding guides I8. Two sets of sheaves 23 are mounted upon the rectangular frame in alignment with sheaves 24 carried by the rigid transverse elements I2 on the bars II. A rotatable shaft 25,

carrying two cable drums 2G, is mounted on one side of the base frame, and two sheaves 21 are mounted on the other side of the base frame. A cable 28 has its opposite ends attached to respective drums 26 and extends therefrom upwardly over the sheaves 24 and under the sheaves 23 and if sothat when the drums 26 are rotated to wind the cable thereon the frame 20 is caused to be elevated and when the drums are rotated to unwind the cable the frame 20 may lower.

When the cable is wound upon the drums 26 the frame or carriage 20 slides vertically upon the sliding guides I8. The corner members 22 are each provided with brackets 29 and as the frame or carriage Ed has travelled the length of the sliding guides these brackets contact the retainers i8 and further movement of the carriage elevates the sliding guides. The bars II, which support the sheaves 24, are provided with stops 30, shown in Fig. 3, for limiting their upward movement and with the device in the extended position shown in Fig. 3 it becomes obvious that the vertical movement of the carriage 20 is not sufiicient to pull the ends of the sliding guides I8 from their guides Il. However, if desired, a movement limiting stop such as shown at I9-29 or as shown at 3:) may be employed to positively limit movement of the sliding guides.

Slidable upon the carriage 20 is a support 3| having a central bearing 32 for supporting a table 33. Loads may be placed directly upon the table 33 or it may be provided'with fixtures, such as shown and claimed in my prior patent above referred to, for supporting the work. Inasmuch as such fixtures vary according to the particular work involved and inasmuch as they are already known to the art the same has not been i1lustrated here.

The shaft 25, which sup-ports the cable drums 25, has a worm gear .3 1 on one end thereof. Pivotally mounted at 35, upon the base frame, is a bracket 36 carrying a worm 31.

or like turning implement is connected to the worm 3?. As shown in Fig. 5, a pin or removable securing element 39 holds the bracket 38 in a position with the worm 3i meshing with the worm gear 34. Therefore, by applying rotative pressure upon the shaft 38 by means of a crank or the like the shaft and drums 26 may be rotated to raise or lower the carriage 20. Furthermore, the worm 31 in meshing with the worm gear 34 provides a positive means for preventing rotation of the shaft 25 due to a load upon the carriage 2&3 tending to unwind the cable from the drums 26. As shown in Fig. 5, by removing the pin or removable securing element 39 the bracket 36 may be swung on its pivot to a position where the worm 3'I is out of mesh with the worm gear 3%.

At its other end the shaft 25 is provided with a ratchet wheel 40 adapted to be engaged by a pawl type lever ll shown in Figs. 7 and 8. As shown, the lever 5| has a bearing portion 32 adapted to be slipped onto the end of the shaft 25 and a spring pressed plunger 43 adapted to engage the ratchet wheel so that oscillatory movement of the lever imparts rotation to the shaft 25. This type of rotating means for the shaft 25 is employed because the close proximity of the shaft to the floor precludes the use of a crank.

A shaft M, extending parallel to the shaft 25 above the same, carries a pawl 45 which engages a ratchet wheel 46 on the shaft 25 to hold the latter against rotation in one direction. The shaft 25 is also provided with a friction brake drum G id and a brake band 57, mounted thereon, is adapted to be actuated by a lever 38 carried by the shaft M.

It is apparent that the leverage advantage of the worm and worm gear drive is superior to the leverage advantage of the ratchet wheel 58 and its operating means. However, the ratchet wheel 3% in providing a direct drive for the pulleys 26 permits the carriage 2t to be rapidly elevate-:1 or lowered when empty or when carrying a comratively light load. To provide a gear ratio l ween those provided by the Worm and worm gear drive and that provided by the ratchet wheel the device also includes a ratchet wheel 49, secured upon the shaft M and operable by the lever device ii to rotate the shaft The shaft iihas small gear thereon meshing with a comparatively large gear M on the shaft 25.

With the device adjusted to the position shown in Fig. 2 it may be easily placed beneath'a vehicle A shaft 33 hav- 'ing a squared end for the reception of a crank body, this being possible because its over-all height is not comparatively great. After it has once been placed beneath the vehicle body the bars 5 I may be adjusted vertically to provide the desired range of movement for the carriage 20. The carriage 2?] is then elevated by rotating the drums 25 until the work support on the carriage contacts with the device to be removed from the vehicle, after which the securing means which ordinarily holds the device in place on the vehicle are removed so that it rests upon the carriage. The carriage is then lowered until it rests upon the base frame and the bars H, which were previously elevated, are lowered to permit the hoisting device and its load to be wheeled from beneath the vehicle. The hoisting device is therefore capable of passing beneath the comparatively low sides of a bus body and of extending upwardly through the vehicle frame to a height considerably above the side wall overhead clearances.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described it will be understood that various changes may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention, and such changes are contemplated.

What I claim is:

l. A device of the character described comprising vertical guides, said guides being extensible as to length, a carriage mounted on said guides for sliding movement vertically thereon, cable means for raising and lowering said carriage, and vertically adjustable means for supporting said cable means.

2. A device of the character described comprising vertical guides, said guides being extensible as tolength, a carriage mounted on said guides for sliding movement vertically thereon, and means for raising and lowering said carriage, said raising and lowering means having vertically adjustable means adapting the same for operation of said carriage with the guides in extended positions.

3. A device of the character described comprising extensible vertical guides, a carriage supported by said guides for vertical movement thereon, sheaves on said carriage, a cable trained under said sheaves, sheaves supporting said cable whereby tightening of said cable elevates said carriage and loosening of said cable lowers said carriage, means for tightening and loosening said cable, and vertically adjustable means supporting the last named sheaves.

4. A device of the character described comprising a carriage, extensible vertical guides ,for said carriage, a cable engaging said carriage, means supporting said cable whereby tightening of said cable elevates said carriage and loosening of said cable lowers said carriage, means for tightening and loosening said cable, and vertically adjustable means supporting said cable supporting means whereby it is adapted to move said carriage to a height greater than the normal height of said guides.

5. A device of the character described comprising a carriage, a cable engaging said carriage, means supporting said cable whereby tightening said cable elevates said carriage and loosening said cable lowers said carriage, vertically adjustable means supporting the last named means, and means for guiding said carriage during elevating and lowering movements thereof, said guide means being extensible vertically.

6. In a device of the character described, extensible vertical guides, a carriage slidably supported in said guides, cable means for elevating and lowering said carriage, said cable means including adjustable elements adapted to be positioned whereby operation of said cable means elevates said carriage to a height greater than the normal height of said extensible guides, drum means for winding and unwinding said cable means to elevate and lower said carriage, and manually operable means for actuating said drum means, said manually operable means comprising a worm and worm gear.

WILLIAM W. LATIMER. 

